The Night to NOTE 2013

Ode to the Divine Fool at Theatre of NOTE

It was exciting to perform once again at The 18th Annual Theatre of NOTE Performance Marathon and proved to be a good experience for presenting some new material with R. SKY Palkowitz and honoring the many years of creative collaboration we've shared. Hard to believe it was 10 years ago when we did our first Theatre of NOTE marathon!

Here are some of the pictures from that evening. I performed two songs, "All the World's A Stage" with Sky's assistance and then followed it with a costume change and the speed vocal workout of "Ode to The Divine Fool." Then Sky performed her brand new piece, "Myth Amerika" where I played the announcer leading her through a very twisted satirical take on beauty pageants and where our country is at socially and politically.

Thanks to our dear friend, Orit Harpaz (www.OritHarpaz.com) for the photos/documentation!

 

We met some new fans and divine fools afterwards!

Theatre of Note 18th Anniversary

I am pleased to be performing once more in the 18th Annual NOTE Hollywood Performance Marathon, alongside R. Sky Palkowitz. I will be performing two comically styled songs "All the World's A Stage" and "Ode to the Divine Fool." Then Sky will take the stage with her satire of beauty pageants "Myth Amerika" as part of her series "CALLING AMERICA: DON'T HANG UP!!" We are scheduled to perform at 11:55pm! 

It's a late night, but I remember performing around the same time 10 years ago to an overflowing audience who were eager and ready to be entertained. I have such fond memories of when we took to the stage for their marathon exactly 10 years ago (can't believe the time flies by). It's still one of my favorite video episodes of "A Palkowitz Now!" Watch the clip here:





The 18th Annual NOTE Hollywood Performance Marathon
Date: Saturday, January 19, 2013
Time: 3pm until Last Man Standing
Place: Theatre of NOTE
1517 Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood (North of Sunset)
Price: $20 all-day-&-night pass

www.theatreofnote.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/NOTE-Annual-Hollywood-Performance-Marathon/181283655230454

Ticket price is $20 for an all day / night pass; all proceeds to benefit Theatre of NOTE. No reservations necessary. First come first serve seating.

Midnight Collages

Midnight Collage 1 (click image to see larger)

I'm trying out a new time for making artwork - just before bed. It hasn't usually been my time to make collages, but mornings are dedicated to writing and stretching, and nowadays I easily get caught up with work and various errands in the midday-evening hours.  I thought it would be good to try doing abstract collage making just before bedtime. I am finding it a nice way to clear my mind from the events and noise of the day,  providing a wonderful bridge into the unconscious realm. 

Midnight Collage 2

I realized its been awhile since I've utilized my favorite method of hand tearing the paper, a tactile approach I love, giving the pieces a rough edge and for me a more engaging and lifelike rawness. I recognize I am actively tearing one image and giving it a new birth, a somewhat devastating and somewhat poetic process, transforming the image. Nothing in creation occurs without first destroying something, the key is to utilize our artistic soul in the reshaping.

Midnight Collage 3

I have also been inspired to return to collage by reading about the collage history of collage artist pioneer of the Dada Kathe Steinitz, and her relationship to artist William Emboden, whose lifetime of achievement and artistic genius I highly respect. He is the multi-talented artist and author, who wrote last year's play "Cocteau & Colette at the Grand Véfour."

Midnight Collage 4

I found after doing the first one that I had the best night of sleep in ages and woke up refreshed and early in the morning. While I can't say that has consistently happened, it feels good when possible to make a collage before bed (when other urgent deadlines aren't approaching!)

Midnight Collage 5

ReBegin Release and Revitalize Ritual

A bath of balloons is a very colorful and festive way to revitalize!

It's that time of year again - the lovely month of January, where a new calendar begins and we have an opportunity to set intentions for how we want the new year to be. It's a time of Tabla Rasa, where we can wipe the slate clean. It's a time of resolutions, and we all know there are many pledges and promises we aim to keep - but don't always do so. But by carving out some time in our schedules to really focus in on what we want to achieve is always time well spent. By making our own kind of special and unique ritual around the event, we are more likely to get our psyches to pay attention to the importance of our aspirations.

Below are some questions that were included in the program from The Happy Happy ReBegin Day Celebration. Guests were invited to write down their answers in two parts. Part one was things they wished to manifest in 2013. The second part was for things they wanted to release and let go of from 2012. We had a fire-pit blazing outside the venue where people could then burn their 2012 responses. Several guests commented afterwards that they really felt transformed by the process and it made them feel so much better about the new year.

So, I am including the questions for you here - and suggest that you create your very own ritual around this process. Make it your own! Take the things you wish to manifest for 2013 and create an art piece from them, or frame the answers and have them posted up where you can see them throughout the year to remind you. "Out of sight, out of mind", so make sure your wishes are prominently displayed for you to frequently see! And for those things you want to shed - well, create your own kind of burning or cleansing ritual! Anytime is a good opportunity to have your own kind of ReBegin Release and Revitalize Ritual.

 

Contemplate & or write down your responses – 

and consider using them as a conversation piece with other people!

 

LUCKY 2013 REBEGIN

REVITALIZE WISH MANIFESTATION

I resolve to:

The goal I most to accomplish/achieve is:

 

The thing I look most forward to about 2013 is:

  

I would most like to transform the following about the world:

This time next year, I think I will be: 

 

I would like some insight on this issue:

My dream vision for 2013 (personal & or universal):

A wild/Foolish thing I have not dared do, but could yet:

When you complete this side of the paper, tear off from the rest of your program and burn it in the fire at intermission or after show

GOOD-BYE 2012 REBEGIN

RELEASE & TRANSFORM

      I would most like to release/shed/get rid of: 

The experience I would most like to forget is: 

If I could transform one thing about last year, it’s:

Is there is one thing I never need to do again it is:

I felt the most embarrassed and stupid last year for:

  

I fear:

The worst thing to me about the state of life currently is:

  

I would most like the world to:

A Most Happy Happy ReBegin Day Celebration!

The ReBegin is here, and in a very Happy Happy way! The Saturday, Dec. 29th performance proved to live up to the name and be a wonderful way to honor the long-time collaboration between performance artists April Hava Shenkman and Jason Jenn upon their shared birthday.  It was a very festive occasion, honoring the archetype of Divine Fool in all of us, the idea of Calendar Girls and the human fascination with dates and time, Janus Geminus (the Roman God of beginnings and the New Year where we get the word January), and the cosmic transition our little blue planet is on as it recently went through a Triple ReBirth of the Sun (an alignment of the Earth, the Sun, and the center of the galaxy as predicted by Mayan Astronomers).

When I first met April, in Rachel Rosenthal's workshops back in 2004, I was immediately intrigued. She's always had her iconic spiky hair style and ability to bring intensity to spoken word and rattle off some fast-talking gibberish like no other. I was stunned when we discovered we shared the same birthday. It was jarring at first, there went my unique "possession" of the day, but then I realized we were kindred spirits, and there was a mirror there to explore. We performed and created several performances together in Rachel's workshops, but it had been some time since the disbanding of Fauve Conspiracy in 2007 that we'd done a true collaborative piece together. So this year, the timing of our birthday on a Saturday evening seemed a most auspicious time to manifest some magic again.

April has been hosting her cabaret style event, The Happy Happy Show at various venues for many years now. The idea was to combine that element with my concept of The ReBegin, and viola, the performance was born and the idea of piecing together elements began. April and her partner, Jared Whitham spent 2012 creating a series of 12 short movies to commemorate each month in The HAVA Calendar series. HAVA means life in Hebrew, and indeed, April brought the months to life with her unique styling and flare, a nod to classic Hollywood, vaudeville, and clowning. So we framed the first act of the show around videos with The HAVA Calendar Series as the centerpiece, and the second act around live performance.

It was indeed an outrageous outing, requiring a lot of work and energy to be generated around an already crazy holiday season and end of year chaos. But the end result proved to be the best way I could image spending the birthday and celebrating this once-in-a-lifetime cosmic transition we are in. I learned a lot about myself and my connection to the archetypes we celebrated. In particular I had always been drawn into the double heads of the Roman deity Janus, but I didn't quite understand the full relevance. In doing my research I discovered innate connections that astounded me and proved to add another piece of the puzzle into the mystery of life.

I had an incredible time that lived up to being a Happy Happy ReBegin Day Celebration! It was so much fun, that I am sure that our performance will manifest itself in some way, shape, or form again at some point in the future. The audience too appeared to brighten up as the evening progressed, and several beautiful comments afterwards assured that this was not just a birthday party, but a true gift to everyone who attended. It was a remarkable way to end a remarkable year and propel energy into 2013! Many blissings and blessings to all!

A special thanks to Spirit Studio Silverlake, all our support/tech crew, and wonderful audience!

Also, you can get your special edition, hand-drawn by April Hava Shenkman,  HAVA, 2013 Calendars here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/114946226/hava-art-calendar-2013-with-12-drawings

 

 

 

 

 

 

JANUS: The Video

It's January! The beginning of a new Gregorian calendar year. But did you know that January comes from the name for the Roman god, Janus, a two-headed deity? In Roman times, he was the god of all beginnings, invoked before all other gods at the start of all new endeavors. New Years Day was his particular holiday...and where we likely get the image of the old man handing off the year to a newborn baby. But when you go a little deeper...you just may be fascinated by this little known deity.

So as we enter and contemplate the new year, enjoy this brief educational video to discover how Janus may be relevant in modern times.